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Monday, March 19, 2012

Nick Cote/Daily News-Sun - Representatives from Tanger, the City of Glendale, the Governor’s
Office, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and the Arizona Office of
Tourism participate in a ground-breaking ceremony for the Tanger Outlet
Center Westgate in Glendale Wednesday.

With most ground-breaking ceremonies, it’s customary to begin construction after the ground has been broken.

It’s a testament to the speed with which the Tanger
Factory Outlet Center project in Glendale came together, then, that
Wednesday’s ceremony took place with the steady rumbling of construction
equipment in the background.

Representatives from Glendale, the governor’s office and the Arizona
Office of Tourism joined Tanger President and CEO Steven B. Tanger at
the construction site to celebrate what they described as an incredible
boon for the West Valley.

“This is a great day in Glendale,
Arizona, isn’t it?” Tanger said. “There is a new energy brewing, and we
are so happy to be a part of the growth and excitement here in
Glendale.”

Announced last month and scheduled to open in just
eight months, the 328,000-square-foot Tanger Factory Outlet Center will
feature 85 brand-name outlet stores and will be located on 95th Avenue
south of Glendale Avenue, across the street from Westgate City Center.

The
shopping center will be an open-air mall with parking around the
perimeter and pedestrian-only traffic within. The shopping center is
expected to provide 800 jobs during construction and 900 full- and
part-time retail jobs when it opens for business in November.

Tanger
owns 39 shopping centers in 25 states and Canada. Among the stores
lined up are Banana Republic, Nike, Talbots, Guess, J. Crew, Under Armor
and Brooks Brothers.

Glendale
City Councilwoman Joyce Clark, who represents the Yucca District where
Tanger Outlet Center Westgate is being built, said she has been
impressed by how quickly the project will go from proposal to
completion. From a speedy design review process to a streamlined
approval of construction documents, Clark said city staff accelerated
the project by six months.

“What our team in Glendale has been able to do has been remarkable,” she said. “They really went to bat for this.”

Tanger said that six-month head start will be beneficial.

“If
my math is correct, the six months they’ve saved us will generate an
additional $1 million in sales-tax revenue for the city, just by
allowing us to open six months earlier,” he said.

Glendale Mayor
Elaine Scruggs said she is especially happy to break ground on the
Tanger Outlet Center as it shows the Westgate development has a future.

“That vision and potential is still there,” she said.

Barry
Broome, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, said
the Tanger Outlet Center will help make the area one of the prime spots
in the Valley for economic growth.

“Westgate is now slingshotting
forward as one of the top employment corridors in our region,” he said.
“Take a look around, because this is where West Valley residents are
going to be working over the next 10 years.”

Sherry Henry,
director of the Arizona Office of Tourism, said Glendale is
strengthening the West Valley’s claim as one of the state’s top draws.

“People
sometimes forget tourism is a business,” she said. “We can sell this.
We look at this as an asset. This project is going to create many
opportunities and many memories for the 37 million people who come to
Arizona each year.”

Jeff Overton, president and general manager at
Camelback Ranch-Glendale, presented Tanger with a baseball signed by
Chicago White Sox Manager Robin Ventura and Los Angeles Dodgers Manager
Don Mattingly.

“On behalf of Camelback Ranch-Glendale, the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, welcome to the team,” he said.

Scruggs noted more than 3 million people visit Westgate each year, while Tanger said his stores bring between 5 and 8 million.

“Add that to the 3 million Mayor Scruggs mentioned, and, where I come from, we call that a ‘gracious plenty.’”

Tanger
said the store should generate $7.5 million annually in state sales-tax
revenue and $2.6 million annually in city sales taxes